Archaeological Survey of the Proposed Buzzards Roost-Thornton Road 230 kV Transmission Line Modification, Factory Shoals Road to Douglas Hills Road, Douglas County, Georgia

In January of 2011, Southeastern Archeological Services, Inc. (SAS), conducted a Phase I archeological survey of approximately 1,450 m (4,750 ft) of proposed modification (widening) to an existing 230 kV transmission line corridor in Douglas County, Georgia. The survey was undertaken in compliance with Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966, as amended, which requires federal agencies that fund or license projects must take into account the effects of an undertaking on significant cultural resources. The existing transmission line for this project follows the eastern side of Thornton Road, from a proposed substation near the intersection of Factory Shoals and Thornton Roads to the intersection of Douglas Hills and Thornton Roads. The existing transmission line corridor bad been cleared, but is now overgrown. The area of potential effect (APE) for the project is a corridor 21 m (70 ft) wide, consisting of the existing 7 .5 m (25 ft) wide corridor, an additional 6 m (20 ft) to the west, and an additional 7.5 m (25 ft) to the east. The western additional strip is entirely within the graded shoulders of the recently widened Thornton Road, and did not require survey. Thus, the effective APE was the existing transmission line and the 7.5 m (25 ft) added strip to the east, which was composed of rolling, wooded terrain. We discovered and recorded one prehistoric archeological site, identified as 9DO 169 (Table 1). Due to lack of preservation integrity and low research potential, we recommend that 9DO 169 is not eligible for listing on the National Register of Historic Places. Thus, no significant archeological sites will be adversely affected by the proposed undertaking and we recommend that the proposed modification to the existing 230 kV transmission line be allowed to proceed.